Teach fledgling pilots to take a critical look at weather to identify risk. [Credit: FLYING Archive]
Key Takeaways:
To teach student pilots how to give more specific informal pilot reports, instructors should emphasize identifying, assessing, and mitigating weather risks.
A key resource is Chapter 7-1-7 of the Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM), which provides categorical terms (LIFR, IFR, MVFR, VFR) with specific ceiling and visibility definitions.
Instructors should actively point out and discuss various sky conditions and weather changes during flight lessons to help students develop the mindset for providing detailed, safety-relevant informal PIREPs.
Question: What is the best way to teach the student pilots how to give an informal pilot report beyond “pretty good”? I am a newbie instructor, and it drives me crazy when you ask them how the conditions are up there, and they say “pretty good.” That doesn’t tell us anything.
Answer: I agree with you completely. “Pretty good” is in the eye of the beholder and subjective at best.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
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